


Filiation

by kuroneko1815



Series: Where the Sea leads us [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Female Monkey D. Luffy, M/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:22:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24161260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroneko1815/pseuds/kuroneko1815
Summary: Filiation: The fact of being or of being designated the child of a particular parent/s.Bringing a child into this world wasn't something that Ace had ever thought of but it was happening even if he didn't want it to. And Sabo didn't seem to mind which one of them was actually the father of the child, that was still his baby, and Ace's, and Lucy's. While Lucy just goes with it. Or, ASL and the road to having a baby and how Ace finally learns to understand what his parents felt for him.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Whitebeard/Cassiopeia Black
Series: Where the Sea leads us [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1236059
Comments: 7
Kudos: 97
Collections: Time Travel and World Travel





	Filiation

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own One Piece or the characters of Harry Potter who would be mentioned or would show up as cameos and background characters. I began this story after the inspiration struck me and it just kept building and changing from there. This is a little peek into the direction I want this series to go into.

_'There is only one happiness in this life - to love and be loved.' George Sand._

* * *

The thing about a woman bonded or rather married to two men at the same time was that it meant that it would usually be difficult to discover which one had fathered said woman’s unborn child before it was actually born. In the case of Lucy and her two husbands, however, it was the exact opposite given that they were all rarely together, and thus, counting back from the pregnancy’s beginning had proven an easy way to determine said unborn child’s paternity.

In this case, the biological father of her unborn child was her soulmate Commander of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. Ace better known as Firefist Ace or less commonly as Monkey D. Ace. He had gone to pay a quick visit to his wife as he was returning from a mission to one of the Whitebeard Pirates territories where they stayed locked up in the Captain’s quarters for two days before emerging thoroughly sated and with a contented smile. Though their bonded other, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Sabo (as he’d insisted on taking his wife and adoptive father/father-in-law, and adoptive grandfather’s name upon their marriage), had been absent but that didn’t mean they weren’t able to include him in some of the fun using their bond.

Of course, all of this had been three months ago which fit with the timing of the pregnancy given the last time Strawhat Lucy had seen either of her husbands before that had been five months ago. Keeping the pregnancy a secret from her husbands had been hard given that she had to keep it out of their bond as well, somethings were better told in person, especially since both men were going to be with her soon to celebrate Ace’s birthday.

Lucy had been buzzing with excitement the whole day as she waited for the two men but had crashed not too long afterward, her pregnancy taking a toll on her strength.

* * *

Sabo walked onto the Thousand Sunny’s deck just before midnight, waving to Jimbei as he made a direct path to the Captain’s quarters. He found his wife easily enough, sleeping in front of the magical fireplace with its low burning fire that cast the room into a soft glow. Lucy was sprawled on the soft and plush rug, a plate of half-eaten sweets near her. Sabo smiled at the sight before picking up his wife and placing her in the middle of the bed.

He stripped quickly before joining her in bed. Smiling softly when she turned to him with a soft and tired “Welcome home!” and a quick kiss before falling asleep again. He pulled her closer and sighed as he buried his face into her hair.

“I’m home.” He whispered quietly. He could feel Ace’s impatience growing as the Moby Dick approached them and he wondered not for the first time why his husband didn’t just go ahead and take his striker. He shrugged it off and fell asleep to Ace’s impatient murmurings floating about in his head.

* * *

Sabo woke up to the dipping of the bed as Ace slid in on Lucy’s other side. “Did I wake you?” He asked gently.

“Kinda. But I knew you were close anyway.”

Ace smiled and leaned over to give him a quick kiss before throwing his arms around them. Lucy must have been woken by the movements from both of them because her eyes opened and she sat up with a yawn.

“Ace! You’re here! Welcome home!” She said happily as she kissed him before settling back against the pillows. As Ace’s hand started trailing Lucy’s arm while Sabo’s began to rise up from her waist she had beamed at them. “I have something to tell you both!”

“Oh?” Ace asked huskily as Sabo caught his eyes, eyes darkening as they both turned to their wife.

Lucy nodded before grabbing their hands and squeezing them then gently placed it onto her flat stomach. “I’m pregnant.” She said as her joy and excitement washed over them.

Sabo grinned as well, a baby, their baby. It didn’t matter which one was the father (though Ace was the most likely candidate), the baby was theirs! And then he noticed the other feelings, the ones that came from his husband. Terror, anger, and disbelief hidden behind a stoic mask.

“No, no, no…” Ace began to whisper over and over again as he pulled away from them even moving away from Lucy’s concerned touch. “You can’t be pregnant.”

“Ace?” Lucy asked quietly, her smile gone.

“Get rid of it.” He demanded.

_ It _ . Not the baby, but  _ it. _ He wanted to get rid of their baby. Sabo was feeling the same amount of horror as Lucy was. “You have to get rid of it. If you don’t, you’ll die.”

“I won’t.”

“Yes, you will.” Ace said angrily. “My mother died in childbirth and so did yours!” And Sabo could suddenly understand Ace’s thoughts.

“That’s them, not me.” Lucy insisted. Ace wasn’t having any of this as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly.

Ace’s face was pressed into a scowl as he glared at her. “I can’t lose you. If I have to choose between the baby and you, I will choose you.”

Sabo quickly pulled Lucy away from Ace. “Ace that’s enough. Lucy will do what she wants.” He said firmly as hurt quickly washed over him and he knew that Lucy was on the brink of crying. Ace looked at him in betrayal before he stood up and stormed out of the room.

He grabbed Lucy in a hug as he tried to soothe her. “It’s alright. Ace is just worried.”

* * *

He found Pops sitting with Lady Cassiopeia. They were talking in low tones, smiles on their faces. Whenever people looked at them, people always thought that Whitebeard was the older one of the couple but Ace knew from the aging of Lu's people that Cassiopeia was a good few centuries older. He didn't really know what type of soulmates they were, didn't really want to know but it was always amusing to see the two of them together.

Ace tried to make it to the stairs before Pops could notice but knew he'd failed the moment the older man's low rumbling voice stopped. He mentally cursed and counted.

“Ace! Son, what's wrong?” Whitebeard called out. Ace sighed before turning to the couple and making his way to them.

“It's nothing, Pops.”

Whitebeard raised a brow and even to his ears the lie fell flat. “It's not nothing otherwise you'd be with your spouses and we wouldn't see any of you for the next few days.”

Ace almost smiled at the thought of Lucy and Sabo but it died quickly as he remembered exactly why he was here and not with them. The thought of... of the baby still sent feelings of terror running through him. Lady Cassiopeia or Cassi as she liked to be called, studied him with an amused glint in her eyes as her lips quirked. “I presume Luciella told you about the baby?” She asked.

He nodded with a frown. “How do you know about that?”

“After Lily Luna's death, we decided to keep a closer eye on the family tapestry. A new line was appearing under your names which would only happen if there was a child involved.” She explained as she stood up and dusted herself off before walking away. “I'll leave the two of you to talk between yourselves.”

They watched her until she'd reached the stairs and disappeared in it. “You don't seem happy about the baby, son.” Whitebeard pointed out as he gestured for Ace to move in closer.

“How can I be happy when it's a death sentence for Lucy and the baby?”

Whitebeard stared at him and Ace tried not to shift. “What makes it a death sentence? We wouldn't let anyone harm your wife or child?”

“Our mothers both died at childbirth and there was a hunt for me from the very beginning.” Ace pointed out.

“Ace, look at me.” His Pops ordered. “Lucy is not either of your mothers nor are the circumstances the same. Your mothers had to go through everything practically alone, she won't. From what I know of your mother in law, she didn't have any proper medical aid and she'd spent months tracking down the slavers that kidnapped the villagers despite her pregnancy and injuries before giving birth without a trained medical professional.”

“Strawhat Lucy has her whole family with her, which includes quite a lot of magical healers, her own personal doctor, the world's greatest surgeon as an ally who considers her a little sister, an entire fleet of her own who have their own doctors, Shank's doctor, the Women of Amazon Lily, and of course... our own fleet's medical staff. Between them, the chances of anything going wrong is very little.” Whitebeard assured him. “And as for people hunting down your child... I'd like to see them try to get past two fleets, the Revolutionary Army, and her grandmother's family.”

Ace was still unsure. “But...”

“There are two other people in this marriage. How do they feel?”

He thought about that and remembered the feeling of joy and excitement that came from the other two. They wanted this baby. “They're excited.” He admitted.

“And since you're not the one having the baby, there's nothing you can do but support them, support  _ her. _ ”

“Pops!”

“No, son. You have two choices. Either you walk away now...”

“I CAN'T AND WON'T DO THAT!” Ace exclaimed, cutting his Pops off.

“Then your only other option is to be there to support her all the way. I'm serious about this, a child is a gift and a blessing but it's also the most serious commitment you can make.”

* * *

Lucy was already asleep when he finally made it back to the Thousand Sunny and into the Captain's quarters. Sabo, however, was still awake and reading some of his reports. Sabo paused in his paperwork to greet him with a weary smile. “I just got her to sleep. Poor thing’s been more tired than usual, apparently.”

Ace breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Sabo wasn’t going to talk about the baby anymore for the night. “That’s more documents than usual.” He noted.

“Mm… I have a lot to catch up on between missions and handling the affairs of the army. But… I’ll have to talk to Dragon-san because of certain things that’ve just come up.” He said as he glanced down at their wife. “What about you? How’s the workload like as the Second Division Commander?”

“Not too bad, I did all of my division paperwork on the way here, then pawned off my other paperwork to my former first mate, thankfully Deuce and the rest of the Spades followed me into the division and knew me well enough.” He said with a grin as he slid into bed and pulled Lucy closer to him.

His husband laughed. “If only Koala were that cooperative. She’d probably just pinch my face then throw me against a wall before telling me to do my own work.” There was amusement and fondness running through their bond and their wife sighed in contentment, hands searching. He watched as Sabo slid the papers into the bedside drawer and turned off the light before settling in. One hand sliding over Lucy’s form and catching his own. Sabo’s eyes were closed but Ace could hear his voice clearly over the bond.  _ “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” _

* * *

Ace grunted as he felt the finger poking his cheek. Sabo’s amusement is as clear in their bond as Lucy’s frustration. “Come on, Ace. Wake up!” She whined.

More poking and whining ensued until Ace finally gave up sleep and opened his eyes. “You could’ve stopped her.” He told their husband accusingly.

“Please. I doubt anyone’s ever been able to stop her.” And yeah, true. Lucy was an unstoppable force and despite their years together, Ace had yet to actually find a way to stop her from doing anything. At most, he could probably delay her but nothing ever beyond that. Even logic failed in the face of Monkey D. Luciella… actually logic and the immutable laws of the universe broke whenever it was brought face to face with their wife.

Lucy threw her arms around him. “Ace isn’t mad anymore!” She said happily as she cuddled up to him.

Ace sighed and breathed in her scent. “I’m not mad… just scared. Sorry for how I acted.” And he was, sorry, that was. Because Lucy hadn’t done anything to deserve his explosive reaction even if it wasn’t in any means violent, though that could be debatable. He didn’t know whether or not shaking a pregnant woman could be considered as an act of violence but he still felt guilty regardless.

“Don’t be scared.” Lucy told him, hand holding his as she put it into her still flat abdomen. “This is our baby and we’ll all be there when the baby’s growing up.”

“You can’t promise that.” Ace said softly, he couldn’t take it, couldn’t connect with the idea of the baby.

She smiled at him. “You did.”

“And look how that turned out.” Ace said bitterly. “Our bond was broken and I was dead for a few minutes, long enough for my fruit to incarnate and then I was in a coma.”

“But Ace is here and our bond is back…” Lucy said hesitantly.

“But if something happens to you then what would happen to the bond too? I don’t… I don’t want to lose either of you and I definitely don’t want to be alone in my own mind again.”

He could feel the sympathy and understanding coming from Sabo as their husband leaned in and pressed his head on Ace’s shoulder. “I understand what you’re feeling Ace. Those years without the bond, without my memories were hell. I’m scared about losing it again but… this is her choice.” Sabo told him. “Besides, I like the idea of having a little baby with us. Teaching the little one to fight and read…” He trailed off wistfully.

And yeah, Ace could definitely see it. The kid would definitely be a bookworm if Sabo had anything to say about it. His mind briefly drifted to teaching the kid how to fight and how to hunt. He thought of a little girl getting spoiled by Garp and Whitebeard the same way Lucy had been. And then it died as he thought of the countless innocent women and children that had died in the hunt for him. He wasn’t going to let Lucy be another one of those numbers and regardless of how he felt about the child, she wanted this baby and she’d get it. Ace was never one to deny her anything she desired.

Ace held on to her tighter than ever. He couldn’t lose this, didn’t want to but… but if it were inevitable then he’d take every moment he could with her. “Pops said that I could stay on the Sunny as long as I want.”

They pulled back from him and he could feel the shock coursing through them. “I… if they need me then Lady Cassi could just get me or I can use a portkey to get back there and do missions but I don’t want to leave you when you’re pregnant.” ‘ _ And vulnerable’ _ Ace wanted to say but didn’t. That would have led to a different fight.

And Lucy was anything but vulnerable. Not with her crew and allies as fond and protective of her as they were. And Wano was a good place to retreat too when she became too pregnant to fight. With the Strawhats liberating the formerly isolationist kingdom and her first mate reclaiming his father’s family name and title as Daimyo, it was as close as one could get to declaring it not just as a part of a protectorate but as her kingdom.

“That sounds nice, maybe I should ask Dragon-san to let me do that too, we’re based off on Kamabeko right now anyway so it shouldn’t be that different. It might actually be faster…” Sabo trailed off as he muttered the words  _ ‘Dominique’ _ ,  _ ‘apparate’ _ , and  _ ‘unused vacation time’ _ .

Ace shivered at the thought of Sabo and Lu’s aunt together. Those two teaming up was never a good sign. And whenever they added in her uncles… all hell would break loose and reality-bending shit tended to happen that was nearly on par with their wife’s general chaos and impossibility. It was probably half of the reason why Mihawk’s soulmate had such a large bounty. And actually, the rest of Lu’s family had pretty exorbitant bounties just by association. Whenever people found out they were related to Lu, they would immediately get attacked then be labeled with a large bounty or vice versa. And of course, they always retaliated to protect themselves which kind of just set off this entire cycle.

“Hey Lucy, does your crew know about the baby?” Sabo asked.

“Yeah!” She said happily. “Chopper noticed when my scent changed. They won’t let me have as much fun now. But I get to eat as much as I want and I don’t have to do as many chores on the ship. Not that I do much anyway cause I always use magic but…”

Ace thought it through. It would be best if they kept it a secret for as long as they could but his crew, especially his division, would need to know what was going on and given that the entire Grand Fleet was supposed to be arriving soon anyway, they might as well just bite the bullet and let them know then swear them to secrecy. He snorted. The World Government would know by the end of the week.

* * *

The party was at full swing and everyone was in high spirits. If there was one thing everyone could agree on, it was that the Strawhats threw the best parties. Even the Party Emperor Red hair Shanks freely admitted it. Of course, the fact that it was always on the Strawhats paying for it made it all the better. Today was no different. The celebration for their Captain meant that there was no expense spared on their part. There never was when it came to birthdays within the crew.

Sabo watched with a smile as he watched Makino and Dragon-san talking together. They had privately told a few people of the pregnancy earlier that day and he’d received permission to stay with the Strawhats for the foreseeable future just as Ace had. It was perhaps one of the few times that he had seen his boss turned father-in-law’s facade break from its usual cool composure as he stared at them wistfully. He knew that it had something to do with Lucy’s mother having died in childbirth but even then Dragon-san had let them know that everything was going to turn out alright.

“Why are you just sitting to the side?” Koala asked as she approached him. “I thought you’d be beside either one of your spouses, especially Lucy.”

Sabo just shook his head, a smile of contentment was on his face as he watched Ace hovering protectively over Lucy. The thought of the baby made him smile again, yeah, he was worried for the future and deathly scared that something would go wrong but… but this baby was half Lucy and half Ace, they were the two people he loved the most in the world so how could he ever hate it.

“Just thinking that I’ve never been so happy in my life.” Sabo said as he watched Sanji twirl in with another large plate of meat for his captain.

He saw his partner and sister in all but blood eyeing him. “When did you get all sappy?”

“When I found out that I was going to be a father a few days ago.” He told her with a warm smile.

“You… you’re going to be a father? Lucy-chan’s pregnant?” She asked before pulling him into a hug when he nodded. “Oh my gosh! Congratulations, Sabo-kun!”

He hugged her back just as tightly. She had been one of the things that had made his decade of amnesia bearable. “Is that why Dragon-san said you won’t be doing as many missions as normal?”

“Yup. I wanna be here for the pregnancy as much as I can and someone has to protect Lucy the further along she is. Ace already has permission to stay here. Most of our paperwork will be done here and unless we’re needed, we won’t actually be straying too far from her.”

“Aww poo. That means I won’t see you as much!” Koala said with puffed cheeks.

Sabo laughed at her. “Well, you can always come visit and do your work here. The Sunny is magically enlarged after all and there are a few guest and family suites here so you can just claim one of the rooms.”

He got a smile from the girl which promptly turned a bit wicked. “I just realized… that this child will be your punishment.” She said triumphantly.

“Huh?” What the hell was the woman talking about?

“You were such a man whore before you got your memories back. I lost track of the number of bed partners, man or woman, that you’ve had.” Koala told him. “Good luck with puberty, Sabo-kun.”

He watched as she walked away before her words sunk in. Oh, oh. OH SHIT! He suddenly felt a sense of foreboding wash over him as he glanced at his, admittedly extremely attractive husband and wife. Somehow, he felt that it was just his luck that their kids would end up like he had before his reunion with his spouses and he knew that Ace would blame him for it.

Thoughts of men and women taking advantage of his innocent little baby flooded his mind as he thought of a little girl with Ace’s freckles and Lucy’s smile running around completely clueless to the fact that the men were leering at her. Horror stole his breath. Like hell he’d allow anyone to defile his unborn child!

_ ‘What’s wrong now?’ Ace asked him through his bond. Lucy’s was also eyeing him in concern. _

_ ‘Nothing we’ll have to worry about for at least a decade and a half or more.’ He shot back. _ Yeah, the longer they had before they had to worry about it, the better.

* * *

Right after the candle blowing, Sabo stood up and raised a glass of sake. “To my lovely wife! May you conquer the Grand Line and achieve your dreams!”

“Hear, hear!” Cabbage… er Cavendish said as he raised his glass as well.

“And may you have a swift and successful delivery in six months' time!”

“Yeah… wait… what?” Thatch screamed out.

Lucy stood up and Ace followed along. A hand on her lower back as Sabo held her hand. Lucy grinned at everyone assembled as both Garp and Whitebeard put down their drinks. “We’re having a baby!” She squealed excitedly.

It took approximately three seconds for the majority of the people to process what she’d just said before everything exploded into a string of well wishes and congratulations. He could see the Barto Club crying in happiness as they began to place bets on the gender and what their child would specialize in within the Strawhat Pantheon because yes, apparently the Strawhats were gods.

Sabo and Ace had been amused at first when the Barto club first started the religion, but then it spread far and wide. They became alarmed, and the amusement died with it. However, he had to admit that he understood the appeal of the religion. Organized religion had fallen by the wayside since the World Government took over. They had destroyed nearly all records of it then the Celestial Dragons declared themselves gods and demanded that they be worshipped and tithed. They taxed harshly and asked a lot. They encouraged slavery. They were cruel, weak, and feeble-minded. They were also cowards.

And then the religion of the Strawhats had spread. Following Lucy and her crew’s teachings of acceptance, love, freedom, and understanding. The religion didn’t demand much just that you were understanding of another person’s circumstance and accepted them for who they were. That you would be kind and never seek to discriminate or take another person’s freedom away. It asked that you find a dream to pursue and protect your treasure along the way. They didn’t ask for money or take your freedom and unless you were a rival crew or a marine, you wouldn’t be fleeced or stolen from.

The Strawhats had already been beloved even before this whole religious debacle had begun because their little crew had been liberating islands and kingdoms from the very start of their journey and there were quite a few islands in Paradise and East Blue that proudly hung their flags for all to see. And he knew that the former Krieg Pirates or rather the Red Serpent Pirates under Captain Ghin and the Baratie crew enforced those protections within the East Blue and those that weren’t… well… between Garp who’d declared Fuusha under his personal protection and Dadan and her extensive powers as the Bandit Queen, those that flew the Strawhats jolly roger were kept safe.

* * *

Ace had been pulled into a drinking contest with some of his brothers who were set on celebrating his leap into fatherhood. He could admit to being more than a bit buzzed. His eyes strayed to Lucy and Sabo who were still eating, both looked up immediately and gave him a smile as warmth and love flooded their bond.  _ “Having fun, Ace?” Sabo called out. _

_ “Yeah. And as long as Marco doesn’t join in, I should be able to win this one.” _

_ He could feel Lucy’s amusement. “Well just hope that Nami and Zoro don’t join in or you’re done for.” _

_ Ace internally winced at that. Lucy’s crewmates were monsters when it came to drinking contests and only Marco was able to keep up with them. “I don’t think I have to worry about that right now though, your navigator is busy fleecing the Barto Club while your first mate just began a spar with your cook.” _

He was pulled away from his mental conversation as Thatch threw his arm around Ace’s shoulder. “You really can’t go more than five minutes without even having a conversation with them, can you?”

“I can.”

Izo scoffed at him. “Yeah, when you’re in the middle of a fight but even then, you’re probably still keeping tabs on them.”

“Just admit it, you’re whipped.” Haruta told him cheekily.

Ace couldn’t even respond as a sudden fit of narcolepsy hit him.

* * *

At five months pregnant, Lucy was still pretty flat and mobile. Chopper theorized that it was due to her rubber abilities being able to extend even within her. But Ace and Sabo had both been there when the baby had first kicked. It was as they lay thoroughly sated after another (gentle) round of sex that the baby had decided to let their presence known.

Sabo had been tracing patterns on her stomach when the baby kicked. He blinked and passed it off as Lucy’s stomach growling but her eyes had snapped open. And then the baby kicked again. “Was that…” Sabo trailed off, eyes staring at her stomach in wonder. “Ace you gotta feel this!” He said as he grabbed his husband’s hand and laid it where his hand had previously been.

He could feel the range of emotions running through Ace right now. The conflicting feelings of anxiety and awe were the most prominent. He knew that Ace was still on the fence about the pregnancy and that it would remain that way until Lucy had given birth. But he really hoped it wouldn’t affect Ace’s bond with the baby.

“Wahh!” Lucy said. “She’s got a strong kick!”

“She gets that from Ace.”

“Are we going with a girl now? Should we just tell Lady Cassi that we’re sure it’s a girl and don’t need her to do the gender spell?” Ace asked them.

Sabo shook his head quickly. “Nope, still gotta be a hundred percent sure.”

“It’s going to be a girl.” Lucy told them. “Mother’s intuition says a baby girl.”

“I still think it’s going to be a boy.” Ace told her.

“Nah, a little girl would be wonderful.” Sabo told his husband.

Ace snorted at him. “That’s only because you didn’t have the bond when Lu first set sail. The number of perverts circling around her seemed to double or triple depending on the island she landed on.”

Sabo shivered and reconsidered his choices. He knew from personal experience that even a son would get the same amount of attention as a daughter if they were good looking enough so that wasn’t really the problem. The problem was that… well… a woman couldn’t walk around topless in the same way a man could without being called out for it. Case in point would be Ace vs Nami. Ace wandered around in nothing but shorts, his shoes, and a cowboy hat but no one said anything about his state of undress but Nami had gotten a lot of obscenities and propositions thrown at her despite the fact that she was at least wearing a bikini top.

Still, he couldn’t shake the thought of a little girl running around in the same frilly dresses that Lucy used to when they had first met. “Nah, a little girl would still be nice.”

* * *

“Exactly how many people are betting on our baby’s gender?” Sabo asked as he glanced at the dark haired older woman. Edward Newgate’s soulmate was an interesting woman who’d dominated her land’s political scene for centuries even through the fall of a government and the start of an empire and had led her clan to new heights as it’s matriarch despite never having had a child.

The woman was a skilled duelist, a scholar, a runescaper, a potion master, a spell crafter, and a healer because she had so much time. She had thrown herself into those pursuits as her family crumbled and turned in on itself until the lines were all but spent. But most of all… she had given the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh a chance to escape his life as Alphard Black and become who he was truly meant to be, a pirate of legend and great notoriety.

“Trust me kid, you really don’t want to know.” Lucy’s many times Great Aunt said as she had his wife lay down and lift her shirt. He watched enthralled as she cast a diagnostic charm and a ribbon of red flowed out of the wand showing her a medical readout more comprehensive than any technology could ever be.

She ‘hmmed’ as she read it but there was nothing on her face or body language that would signify even the mildest hints of alarm. “Alright, you seem to be in good condition though your folic acid levels seem a bit low, nothing a simple change in your diet shouldn’t fix. I’ll tell Sanji as soon as we’re done here.”

“And folic acid is?” Ace asked as he began to take notes. It was an odd turn of events that Ace was actually being the responsible record keeper that he was concerning Lucy’s pregnancy and health but then again, he’d spent a lot of time with Marco the Phoenix who was the epitome of Mother Hen.

“It’s a B vitamin. She can get it from a variety of foods such as oranges and green vegetables.” The woman said as she busied herself with the next part of the checkup. “Now, did you want to know the gender or should I just keep it to myself?”

Sabo leaned forward eagerly. “Tell us, please.”

“It seems like…” She trailed off as she flicked her wand over Lucy and a projection of the baby appeared in the air and a pink line bordered across from it. “You’re having a little girl.” She said with a happy smile and another flick of the wrist had suddenly allowed them to hear their little one’s heartbeat. And suddenly some happiness and warmth filtered over from Ace as he saw their baby for the first time.  _ There it was. _ Sabo thought to himself.  _ The moment that Ace has accepted his fatherhood. _

* * *

In a surprising turn of events, the marines actually didn’t find out about Lucy’s pregnancy until she was about eight and a half months pregnant. They were sailing back to Wano so that she could be somewhere safe when she gave birth when a warship intercepted them. Sabo and Ace ran out of their shared temporary office to find some of the marines had cornered Lucy who wasn’t as nimble as she usually was.

Needless to say, they weren’t that happy and the overprotective husbands and the equally protective crew had been merciless. The damage had been done, however, as one of the marines had been able to contact the HQ. Ace had stormed up to Lucy and dragged her into Chopper’s medical wing for a checkup as soon as they were sure that they were safe.

“Why didn’t you try to leave as soon as you saw the warship?” Ace asked her angrily.

Lucy looked down. “I don’t know… I guess it’s been so long since I last had a fight.”

“You were so reckless! Couldn’t you have just waited a few more weeks before going back out to fight? You could have died, the  _ baby _ could have died.” He said chastising her.

Sabo watched as her lips began to quiver and he intervened before things could become too heated. “Ace, I agree with you that she was reckless and stupid but she’s still the Captain of this ship and we don’t exactly have any grounds or power here.”  _ “And she’s about three seconds away from crying.” _ He scolded Ace through their bond. He watched as Ace lost his wind and he pulled her into a hug. Sabo followed his lead and hugged her from behind.

“Just promise you won’t do that again.” Ace asked.

“I promise.” Lucy said.

* * *

Their daughter is born in the middle of the night bordering in the early morning. The sky’s still dark and Lucy’s sweating. By all accounts, she was going about it much faster than most first time mothers largely due to her devil fruit powers but their baby is big. She curses Ace first for getting her pregnant then switches to Sabo just because and she’s pretty sure she’s broken both of their hands and maybe bitten one or two fingers since this all began.

Lucy saw the various shades of red and black hair clamoring around her bed as the healers in her family, Chopper, and Traffy all gathered around her to help in the childbirth. Some of them, like her grandmother Holly, were only there to create wards to stop the potential magical backlash from harming her ship. Others were there to monitor her and the baby’s health.

“Come on, kiddo. Just a little bit more.” Aunt Domi encouraged her from where she was standing behind Nana Cassie. In all honesty, they probably would have only needed Nana Cassie, Chopper, and Traffy but Ace had been so scared that she’d given in and asked the rest of the healers in her family to assist too.

Nana Cassie had been the longest practicing healer and medi-witch in the group and she’d been the midwife who’d delivered the majority of the Black Family’s descendants. Her mother, uncles, and even Grandpa Rayleigh. She was the most experienced out of all of them and she’d never lost a single mother or baby. Chopper was the best doctor to have around if something was wrong with the baby, and Traffy was the best to have if they needed to cut her open to remove the baby… come to think of it, why hadn’t she just asked Traffy to just use his devil fruit to remove the baby in the first place?

Oh, that’s right. Because there were additional bacterias or whatever that the baby would be exposed to on her way out. But really, this hurt and none of the painkillers actually worked on her. Lucy grunted as she bore down a bit more and pushed. Why wasn’t the baby coming out?

“Alright Luciella, just one more, I can see the head coming.” Nana Cassie said. Lucy squeezed her eyes tight and leaned back on to Ace’s chest while Sabo wiped the sweat away. It wasn’t that much longer before she felt something slipping out and Nana Cassie pulled away.

The baby’s cries could be heard around the room and Ace sighed in relief. She watched as Aunt Domi clipped the baby’s umbilical cord before turning to them. “Well, which one of you dads want to cut the cord?”

“I’ll do it!” Sabo said immediately, heading towards them to be the first to glimpse the baby. It took all of two seconds before the baby was whisked away by Aunt Domi even before he could reach out to take her.

“Don’t worry, we’re just giving her the newborn screening to make sure everything’s fine.” Nana Cassie told them as they watched Chopper follow along. Her Weasley relatives were preparing everything for the baby. And she watched as the baby was handed to Great Grandma Molly who washed the baby gently before drying her and then she was placed in a diaper and wrapped in a blanket knitted by various members of her family.

“She’s perfectly healthy.” Chopper had assured them as he turned to confer with Traffy.

Nana Cassie went back to where she’d previously been. “Alright, time to deliver the afterbirth.” She said.

It was over before Lucy even knew what was happening and she blinked as Traffy and Chopper began to clean up their medical equipment which had turned out to be completely unnecessary. She saw the matriarch cast a few spells while the others had begun to use their magic to get rid of the blood on her bed.

“Drink this.” Auntie Fleur handed her a smoking… something and she grimaced at the smell. “It will help.” The blonde assured her.

Lucy blinked up at her grandfather’s sister-in-law and nodded before chugging the whole thing down and trying not to gag. It wasn’t as bad as a devil fruit but it was still awful. “That’s a healing solution that’s given to magical women that speeds up their healing post-birth.” Auntie Domi piped in from where she was, their daughter in her arms as she began to walk back to them.

Sabo made another motion to grab their daughter but Auntie Domi glared at him. “It’s the tradition in the family that the mother would be the first non-medical to hold the baby.” Lucy laughed as Sabo wilted in his place and he trailed along after them.

There was nothing to describe the feeling of getting to hold her baby for the first time. It was the most magical thing in the world for her and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She glanced down at her daughter, all freckled with tufts of black hair and a veela allure already making itself known.

“She’s got a soulmark on the small of her back.” Her Great Grandmother had said softly as she stared at them with a fond smile.

So they’d come full circle. Another little Monkey D. born by the sea in the Grandline with a soulmark and the potential to turn the world on its head. A soulmark meant that somewhere out there, someone’s waiting for her daughter to find them and to take them on all sorts of adventures.

* * *

Sabo held their daughter all in awe. Ace had declined to hold her before him in favor of helping Lucy change into another nightgown and he watched as the last two witches used their magic to sanitize their bed and change the sheets. “Hello, baby girl.” He said quietly as he stood by the window letting her bask in the moonlight.

“I’m your Papa.” He introduced himself. Papa had been the name he’d claimed for himself while Ace had claimed Daddy. Lucy had just laughed at them after their hour long argument and spar had ended.

“Welcome to the world, Little Monkey D… uhh…” They still hadn’t decided on a name because Lucy hadn’t been able to narrow down the list from the hundred or so names that remained.

He walked back to the bed as Ace helped Lucy lower herself. “What are we gonna call her?”

“Are we going to follow your family’s tradition?” Ace asked as he turned to Lucy.

She shook her head. “Nope. I want her to be her own person. We’ll follow the names based on what we wish for her.”

“Okay.” Ace frowned. “I wish that she’ll always be happy.”

“I wish that she’ll always be brave enough to follow her heart and do what’s right.” Sabo said as he glanced down at the baby in his arms.

“And I wish she’ll always be free.”

They looked at one another and then at the list that Ace had pulled out. “I guess there’s only one name for her, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the one.” Ace said pointing to the name on the list.

* * *

There was a line of people just outside the Captain’s quarters of the Thousand Sunny but the medical staff ignored and threatened all of them into leaving the new parents alone until they were ready to present their child. “It’s a little girl, healthy and beautiful. That’s all we’re going to tell you.” Dominique said with a glare.

“At least we know who won the bet.” Izo muttered.

“And there was only one?” Another one of the Whitebeard pirates had asked. They had arrived halfway through Lucy’s labor and as such, the room was already at capacity with no further need of medical staff.

Dominique blinked at them. “What the hell? Of course, there was only one!”

A few people groaned and she could see money changing hands from where she stood. She glared at them all. “And before anyone asks, we left before they could name her.”

“Can we see them?” Teddy asked from where he sat with his godbrothers.

“Not until they come out. Aunt Holly placed wards around the room that would prevent anyone who wasn’t a member of the medical staff or one of the ASL trio from coming in.”

There were a few more complaints but a few reminders of her magical prowess had settled everyone down.

* * *

Ace held their daughter last. Even as the other two slept, he held her and rocked her, humming quietly under his breath. Here they were now, so many months later and he’d never been happier to be so wrong. He could finally understand how his parents had felt when they made those decisions that had led to where he was now. His parents had both sacrificed themselves to protect him out of the same deep love that Ace now felt and they didn’t even have the immediate mental bond that had formed the moment he first held her.

_ “Sorry Lu, I’ve fallen in love with another girl.” He had told his wife earlier. _

_ Lucy had laughed at him. “Well if it’s this girl then I’m okay with it.” _

_ “Ace, you’re such a sap.” Sabo teased even though he was the one crying. _

“My little pirate princess. Everything that I am, and everything that I have is yours.” He whispered as he breathed in the scent of his little girl. He glanced at the other two again before he laid his daughter down in her bassinet as she drifted to sleep.

* * *

The trio came out close to noon. The baby was in Lucy’s arms this time. A hush fell over them as they stepped out into the sun, bright smiles on their faces. “Everyone, we’d like you to meet our daughter, Monkey D. Riley.” Sabo said.

“Riley?” Garp asked with a frown as he glared at the Dark King beside him.

Ace nodded. “Riley because Rayleigh-san trained Lu and saved her life a few times, as well as in honor of our mothers Rouge and Lily. But also because it means carefree and valiant. And that’s what she’ll be. She’ll grow up happy and free, we’ll teach her to be brave enough to follow her dreams like we did.”

“I think that’s a wonderful name, son.” Whitebeard said.

“And I’m deeply honored that you’ve named her after me.” Rayleigh lifted his cup. “To Monkey D. Riley.” He began the first cheer and people followed after that.

* * *

His daughter was quiet and looking at him with her grandmother’s blue eyes that were a shade lighter than Sabo’s. She was staring at him intently. “Do you want to hear a story?” Ace asked his newborn daughter. There was no answer but he hadn’t been expecting one anyway.

“Alright then. I’ll tell you a story about the girl who would become the Pirate King and how she’d saved two angry little boys and what feels like the whole world.” He rocked her gently. “Once upon a time…”

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how I feel about this story. I might go back and edit it one day depending on how I feel but... I guess this is as satisfied as I would get. Also, it's like 2 am so I apologize if it wasn't what you were expecting. So, what did you guys think? Let me know and please stay healthy and safe!


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